Great Ocean Tank

The Great Ocean Tank is a 385,000-gallon exhibit recreating the continental shelf off Charleston, featuring sharks, sea turtles, puffer fish, and large rays. The tank provides a dramatic window into the marine ecosystem that lies just miles offshore from the aquarium's waterfront location.

The waters off South Carolina support diverse marine life including loggerhead sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, and numerous commercially important fish species. Overfishing, pollution, and climate change threaten these productive waters, making ocean conservation education increasingly urgent for coastal communities.